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Minnesota Gardening

Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) in Rochester area?

17 years ago

I may be moving from the Omaha, NE area to the Rochester, MN area this fall. I'm wondering if my favorite butterfly bush will survive the winters. Is it possible to baby them with mulching? Here they die back to ground level and regrow completely every spring, but don't need special winter treatment, other than cutting the dead top off in the spring. Also, do blueberries do OK there? Thanks! Molly

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Comments (6)

jel48
17 years ago
Hi Molly. Nice to see a fellow Nebraskan (former in my case :-). I'm originally from about 60 miles north of Omaha (Decatur) and moved her from Herman in 1994. I live in Owatonna (about 40 miles west of Rochester) and work in Rochester.

Buddleia are marginal here. They are Z5 and we are Z4. I believe many people here have good luck with them, but it varies from spot to spot. I planted one last summer, for the first time, and it didn't survive the winter. I've put in 3 more this summer, two are in the ground and one in a pot. I plan to mulch a little heavier for the two in-ground and I'm going to try burying the one in the pot in my vegetable garden. I'm pretty sure that one will survive (I've done that with a tea rose in the past) but how long depends on how many seasons I'm willing to go to the extra work to do so.

Blueberries do grow here. Moreso in the northern part of the state, but some grow them around here too.

Hope to see you here on the MN forum again, if you decide to make the move.
sjmarq
17 years ago
I'm in Rochester and I've only seen Buddleia once in a person's yard. If you have a warm microclimate in your yard and you're willing to work a little (more mulch, careful protection) it might survive until a really harsh winter comes around. Only you can deem if it's worth the effort but most assuredly it will not be a long term plant.
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don't give up on it yet. Mine die to the ground each year . I prune them late March/early April as you did. When mine start to come they come from around the 'trunk' --very tiny glimpses of green to start and then off they go running. None of mine are more than 8-9 inches tall right now. I mulch the area their in very summer but do nothing to them extra in the fall. I have stopped buying the 'english garden' series as I found I did not have as much luck as I do with other kinds. I have without counting probably ten buddleia in various colors and all were a 100% return . I usually see the first green glimpse about the time I start to see green on my russian sage, my mother's garden about 70 miles north of me sees her first glimpse about two weeks after I do.
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My bushes were all terribly late this season. Some had no growth until July!! I also pulled a couple, then found the leaf buds so I replanted them. The worst starters were in the most exposed areas, as you mentioned. Small new bushes, planted the late summer before. They are finally blooming now though, small flower heads, but there are a lot of them. I am with you, willing to try some protection this winter for these ones. I am planning on the rose cones, though I will take off the cone tops to prevent overheating. Those cones can be pretty hot in the sun, even in cold air. I just want wind protection, so they start better next year. My bigger bushes are also exposed, but do seem to start growing sooner, for earlier blooms. Could be the better root system, feeds them better. I prune my bushes in spring. They have green leaves until that last blast of winter, so must be getting fed.
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Hey, Im in zone 9, and the same exact thing happened to mine. It was that cold we had for a couple of days in january i believe. It hit like 32 or something for 2 days. That did it for me. I cut it down to about 10 inches, but there is no green or new growth on it. Im getting a little worried that perhaps the cold killed it. I was at a few nurseries and saw that they were putting out growth everywhere. I have the Harlequin Davidii species. I am anxiously waiting for it to grow 'somewhing' for a few weeks, if not i might just replace it.
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Intermittent hard frosts have caused new shoots to die back twice already this spring, but they seem to be taking breaking out again this week. Our butterfly bushes are ten years old. Each spring we cut them back to about a foot to a foot and a half of old wood. They "sprout out" from that and usually die back at least once before "having another go". My bushes are surrounded by wild violets to mask their twigginess early on, and don't begin to sprout until after the violets have finished flowering -- We have four bushes planted closely together -- white, pink and purple -- the white blooms first, followed by the pink, and the purple is last -- but all are blooming for a couple of weeks in mid-August, when it looks like one 6' x 6' rainbow bush -- and is truly striking! We don't cut it back until Spring because the raceme seed pods stay in place and get covered with snow. An attractive addition in the middle of winter!
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playdirt
17 years ago
Hi I am in southern Rochester. I planted two last fall--mulched them quite heavily. and they are in full morning sun thru 2 pm. They are blooming right now They arent the thickest I have seen but they ar eliving and blooming. Welcome to our town. cathy
ginkgonut
17 years ago
Mine died out this last winter after 3 years in the ground. So much for the "until a harsh winter comes along."

I think mulch them, keep your fingers crossed and, if it is a plant you must have, be prepared to replace them periodically.
mnwsgal
17 years ago
Welcome, Molly. I live in Maple Grove and have grown buddleia since 2001. The one in full sun grows 4-5 ft high and is bushy. 'Black Knight' is 4ft this year but is in partial shade and has grown slower and more open. Both are heavily mulched with shredded leaves over the winter. The mulch is pushed back in the spring as the daffodils around the roots begin to emerge. Other than cutting back in the spring and deadheading they need no other attention. A very easily grown plant for me and so lovely and attractive to hummingbirds as well as butterflies.
mycalicogirls
Original Author
17 years ago
I AM coming up! we are looking at houses in Winona now. I think I read somewhere that the Black Night butterfly bush may be the most winter hardy. I'm excited to start my new garden there and will start checking this forum regularly to get up to speed! Molly

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